Helias delays start date for school

Construction issues cited for postponement

Construction continues on the new wing at Helias High School on Friday. Several small delays in construction have required officials to push back the start of the school year by four days.
Construction continues on the new wing at Helias High School on Friday. Several small delays in construction have required officials to push back the start of the school year by four days.

Helias High School announced the first day of school will be delayed this year until Aug. 17 due to construction.

A letter from Principal Kenya Fuemmeler, posted on the Helias Facebook page, said she and the Rev. Stephen Jones walked through the building on Friday, assessing the readiness to start school as planned.

Several small delays, including finding small amounts of asbestos in the building, added up and pushed the project a little farther behind schedule, Jones said.

"There wasn't a particular part that was delayed," Jones said. "We got the floors done in the bathroom, and the teacher room took a little longer than we thought."

During the summer, crews renovated the previous administration area into what is now the St. John Paul II Student Success Center. The center will host the counseling and career guidance offices, is a space for academic instruction, a technology-centered study hall and a supervised after-school lounge.

Four student bathrooms on two floors have been renovated, and the former chapel was renovated into a teacher work room with a lounge and kitchenette.

Jones said there's still quite a bit of preparation work that needs to be done before students can come back for classes.

Typically, the school's maintenance department spends the summer prepping the building, but crews started today after the construction was completed. The floors still need to be waxed and stripped, and teachers won't have access to their classrooms until that is complete.

"We felt it would be prudent to air on the side of caution and make sure we have enough time to complete everything," Jones said.

Initially, upperclassmen were to report Aug. 15.

Now, juniors and seniors will begin their first day on Wednesday, Aug. 17, and freshmen and sophomores will begin on Aug. 18. Students will attend from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on these days - which includes picture days - and the first full day of school will be Friday, Aug. 19.

All other events and activities will continue as scheduled, she said in her letter.

Students can still pick up their schedules from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Aug. 8-10 by entering through the main entrance off Myrtle Street. Students will not be able to access their future lockers or classrooms during that time due to construction. Lockers and classrooms will be accessible on Monday, Aug. 15, and Tuesday, Aug. 16.

The improvements are part of the school's $15 million Capital Improvement plan. Jones said in the next couple weeks they're planning to announce their latest fundraising figures, as well as an update on when the athletic complex will begin construction.